Under the Sakura Tree
by AliasKei
Summary: Nothing changes people like time spent away. Sakura has come back after a long absence, and is paired with Sasuke on a dangerous mission that could take untold amounts of time, with unknown amount of risk and has an impossible margin for success. Hiatus
1. IAlpha

**---**Author Note**---**

Alright. I'm typing a little intro her on this first chapter, and it's going to throw off the word count which annoys me, so I'll make it short.  
This here is a Sasuke/Sakura pairing, and it's got some pretty graphic content, so be warned. Usually, I hate this pairing, and people often don't write it well anyway, but here I am writing it. Why Well so I hope it's good enough for Sasuke/sakura fans out there. If you're wondering what my favorite pairing is... you don't want to know anyway... hahahaha.

_fanfiction.net has been cutting off the scene breaks between bits, please put up with this until i find a way to fix it._

Disclaimer:

I'm crazy and I believe I have every right to these characters, sue me all you want but I'm not getting any money for this anyway, and I'll get off on the twinkie defense...

Warning:

This should not be read by anyone who doesn't like it... that and, there's a lot of violence and adult-like situations.  
  
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**Chapter One: **

A long and weary journey ends, but another one is only beginning.

Sakura returned to the village on her nineteenth birthday. She had been away for all of three years, and although for a kunoichi, the job had been relatively short, It had been long, and far more difficult than anything she had ever done. It could be said that in those three years, she had finally become an adult.  
  
        Although she had studied endlessly in school, nothing really specific had come up on the rules or conduct of kunoichi as compared to ninja, and even though they had put her in a six month training course beforehand, she had not truly been prepared with what she would be required to do.  
  
        Yet it had been her choice, and she didn't regret the service she had done for Konoha. It wasn't something she wanted to dwell on much though, and she brushed her musings off as she walked into the village without so much as a sigh.  
  
        She wanted to see Sasuke.  
  
        Of course she knew exactly where he was at the moment, so there was no need to be impatient. A slight smile teased her face at the thought of being patient when it came to Sasuke. Now that was something she would never have believed to be a possible thought a few years ago. But it was no time to give into whims, she still had some business to take care of.  
        And as proof of the importance of that business, Kakashi showed up on time for once.  
  
    
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------      Sasuke stood in front of his family monolith, staring at all the names carved in the stone. He had no need to pay attention to how many there were, or who they were because he knew one simple fact. He was not one of them. And neither was the only name that should be there by now. Uchiha Itachi.  
  
        It frustrated him to think that he still wasn't strong enough to take Itachi on. Yes he'd improved vastly since the last encounter, but Itachi had just the same amount of time to improve as well. And Itachi was the genius of the family, despite what the current generation of Konoha ninjas thought. They'd never known. He'd reached the level Itachi had been at, now, but there was no saying his older brother would wait for him.  
  
        In fact he was positive the traitorous sibling had not. It constantly ran through his mind, why had he been left alive, why had Itachi not killed him even their last meeting. And still, as it had even over ten years ago, the same answer came to him.  
  
        Itachi wanted to be killed. He wanted someone to avenge the injustice he'd done to his own family. Sasuke raised a hand to the mark on his neck, a seal that lay dormant, now that Orochimaru was out of the picture. Yet he could still feel it at times. He could still remember the dark pull, and the lustful feeling of power he had barely even wanted to fight off.  
  
        Would he have improved faster or slower had it never been put there.... a worrisome thought that was pointless to dwell on. Sasuke was an expert on dwelling. Nothing escaped the overactive grasp of self blame.  
  
        Sasuke slid his Anbu mask down to cover his face as he turned away from the morbid monolith. Ready or not, Aniki, he thought acridly, here I come. His eyes glowed red, even through the fox-like mask. His brother had been playing hide and seek too long.  
  
      
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------    "Wow Sakura, you look hell of different!" The boisterous voice of Naruto spoke up as they met at the ramen shop. Sakura had promised Naruto a bowl of ramen on her return and her business with Kakashi concluding her mission was complete. She still hadn't seen Sasuke.  
  
        "You haven't changed much, except in height I see" Sakura returned with a smile. It was a lie. Naruto was older and a lot more handsome. It could be commented that he looked similar to the fourth. Yet she still had no feelings for him at all. Even after all he'd done to bring Sasuke back that one time, she couldn't be more than just grateful.  
  
        She still couldn't drop her feelings for the Uchiha. Even if she wasn't exactly hopeful of any returned feelings.  
  
        "Did your mission go well?" Naruto asked as he broke apart his chopsticks and started to dig in. "They wouldn't tell us any details about it at all" he said with ramen in his mouth. sakura winced at the mess he was making.  
  
        "Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to say anything. Suffice that I'm returned, alive and well, that should tell you something I suppose" She rested her head on her hand and waited for her order. Naruto had gotten his faster since they usually knew exactly what he wanted, and he'd arrived before her.  
  
        "Hmmmmmm" Naruto replied, thinking about it. His eyes were just as squinty as usual, and the expression he made reminded Sakura a lot of their younger days. He looked like the boy she knew once more.  
  
        "And what have you been doing in my absence?" Sakura asked him only with a polite curiosity. Naruto looked at her, though she still had yet to figure out how he could see through those fox-slit eyes. His face was a little too serious for a moment, but shortly, it broke into a grin.  
  
        "Training!" He said as he pointed his chopsticks at her dramatically. She rolled her eyes.  
  
        "Are you ever doing anything else?" Sakura asked, not because she didn't already know the answer, but as a matter of sarcasm.  
  
        "Well I go on missions all the time, but I'm training there too. In fact, I get to go on a suuuuper long mission with Ero-senin again next week."  
  
        "You're leaving?" Sakura asked, surprised. Naruto nodded  
  
        "I'll be back but I don't know how long I'll be gone." he said, turning to his ramen again. Sakura looked at him for a long moment.  
  
        "Good luck" She said finally, a little quietly. Naruto opened an eye to look at her mid slurp. He turned back to his ramen and just nodded again.  
  
        "Thank you" he said after they'd finished their meals, and they both headed their opposite ways.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------        Kakashi looked a little sheepish as he stood next to his two students. Sakura looked serious, and Sasuke looked relaxed. It was usually the other way around, and Kakashi was weirded out by the entire situation to begin with. It was highly unusual to say the least.  
  
        "Now I don't usually deal with anbu matters personally," Tsunade said to Sasuke in particular, confirming Kakashi's opinion that this was a strange occurrence in more than one way. "but this is a delicate situation." She said as she rested an arm on the table before her.  
  
        "We've been having to deal with a lot of volatile situations lately, especially with the investigations underway on the members of the pending peace treaty. We don't want the same thing to happen that occurred the last time we made a similar treaty. There are a lot of suspicions flying about both sides, but I'm sure you two already know that." she nodded towards Sakura  
  
        "It's thanks to your work that things are going as well as they are currently" she said to the pink haired ninja. "I haven't had a chance to say thank you, and I don't like having to send you back out again so soon, but you two are the only ones that fit this mission's specifications." she finished with a slight sigh. She waved a hand at Kakashi, giving him the signal to pick up where she left off.  
  
        "Ah well it's true that you two are the only ones that just happen to fit, but it's more coincidence than anything else. You see, we need two ninjas that have been on the same team, which itself isn't too hard to find, but there are other things too."  
  
        "We're after a missing nin. This is absolutely anbu work, and only anbu work. We need someone with the experience and skill to pull hunting off. That's where your part is obligatory, Sasuke." Kakashi paused a moment, looking up in his normal lazy manner. He looked back down, tilting his eye towards Sakura.  
  
        "And on the other hand, this is in 'hostile' territory, so we need someone to blend in, someone with specific skills in subterfuge and spy- work. That is defiantly where you fit in." He smiled at her, though you could only really tell by that one eye. it was sometimes a little silly. He spread his hands out in a slight mock-shrug.  
  
        "We really need two people who are already used to working together, any mishaps at all in familiarity other than strait personality flaws will be detected right away. We already have a cover for you, if you decide to accept this, which I have no reason to believe you two won't." He looked at each of them in turn as if waiting for an answer, but went on.  
  
        "But don't worry about making a decision now. I've still got a lot more to explain on the situation. I can't explain everything, because it is classified, but I can't rightly ask you two to accept without at least giving you an Idea of what we're up against."  
  
        "It's no Orochimaru though, that's for sure, that was one of a kind. Sasuke I already know your answer, for two reasons. One, as an anbu it's already your job, and two," he paused for a moment, looking at Sasuke meaningfully "Itachi may be involved in some way, though we have no definite confirmation." Sasuke, as Kakashi expected, looked at him sharply, his eyes dilating into sharingan red from their usual pitch black. Kakashi just nodded at him.  
  
        "So it's really up to you, Sakura" He smiled at her again before going on. She answered before he could.  
  
        "It would be a privilege" Sakura spoke "To work with my former teammate, and now anbu. It's not a chance I get everyday." She said sincerely, in a slight monotone. "I have no need of further details before accepting, you may fill us in as you see fit."  
  
        Kakashi nodded at her, as he thought, she had matured quite a bit on the last mission. But he was realistic, and knew quite well that the maturity she held, likely had cost quite a hefty price of suffering and experience on both the lighter and darker sides of life. From her cool and calculated speech, he speculated it was more of the latter.  
  
        And then there was her relationship with Sasuke, or lack thereof. When he had started training them, it had been his opinion that it was a childish crush, but as he had grown in his knowledge of them, he realized Sakura was a lot deeper than she seemed.  
  
        Team seven had gone through a lot, and through it the level of her feelings for Sasuke were only further strengthened. Kakashi thought himself fortunate to be one that watched those three learn and grow. Passing them was never something he regretted once. Yet Sakura was still the most often overlooked.  
  
        Sakura ad not a charmed childhood, though in comparison to Sasuke or Naruto it could be viewed as blessed. She had been forced to conform to the people around her to even establish the slight amount of respect she had barely gained. She was in top shape when it came to books, but her skills in ninjitsu could only be deemed mediocre, maybe even bland.  
  
        Even when she was energetic, it was often easy to pay little notice to her. Considering the company she was surrounded by, it was a wonder anyone ever saw her at all. Sasuke and Naruto just emanated presence, yet there was something subtle about her Aura.  
  
        Which was why, four years ago, he had nominated her as the kunoichi for that ever so delicate job that she did.  
  
        She was always following rules by the book, and already could easily be expected to act appropriately in most any situation. Except when her comrades got in the way. Kakashi could easily understand this, he was about as protective about partners as she was.  
  
        it hadn't surprised him when she returned one hundred percent successful in what had been a job with only a ten percent chance of success. If she had stood out even the slightest too much, it would have been all over. In fact, they had to send in decoys to make it so she could even get in.  
  
        But with all that, and the fact that three years ago, she had still been closely attached to her feelings to Sasuke, Kakashi was worried.  
        She hadn't even said hello to him yet, and she'd been in town again, for a week.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------        Sakura visited the graveyard before she left. She didn't personally know anyone who had died, but that last year she had sworn to visit first thing when she came back. It had been a silent promise, a covenant with death to keep her alive, and he had played his part, so now it was her turn.  
  
        She ran her fingers across the monument of the town's 'heros.' All martyred in the line of duty, and not in just any capacity, but in order for the mission to succeed. She would never be listed here. Not because she was confident she wouldn't die, but on any mission she would have in the future, if she died, it failed.  
  
        Kunoichi had no pride, nor hesitation. No life, no identity. She was a vessel, the seed of hope in winter. Sitting patiently waiting for spring to come. Hoping that neither the weather nor a hungry creature would uproot her. Praying she wouldn't decay.  
  
        No, Sakura was a changed person, she looked at her hand on the monument. No glory for this one.  
  
        "Sasuke" she said to the open air, speaking the thought her mind dared not touch. Desire. She shook her head slowly at her voice falling into the wind. This mission was not a chance to get closer to him. She had no right. They would succeed, and she'd be damned if either of them would even think of dying. She had to make it clear to Sasuke how important success was. Her hand turned white with the force it gripped the monument.  
  
        He didn't know the state of things, Konoha was in worse condition than it pretended to be, enemies at all sides, and one slip-up threatening to bring it all down around their ears.  
  
        He had always been the more serious one, but she wondered if it would be enough this time. The second part of the mission would be simple for him, but would he be able to pull off the first? He was good at hiding, leaving no trace.  
  
        But they needed someone who could hide in plain sight.  
  
        Would he object to the proximity he'd have to keep with her during the mission? He hadn't made any indication of it, but Sasuke rarely let his feelings known, not in front of 'superiors'. When she saw him, he likely wouldn't hesitate to tell her his feelings.  
  
        She felt the pangs n her heart from the last time they'd been alone. it had been the day he had decided to leave, she poured her heart out to him then. He hadn't quite spit in her face, but his denial had been devastating. She would have done anything for him, but he hadn't wanted it.  
  
        Now her loyalties lie with Konoha, it had asked for her when she had lost her way. She had found direction in sacrifice, where none had been accepted before. She knew though, if the day came where she was needed, she would throw away the scars on her heart and sacrifice everything for Sasuke. The dark avenger she loved so dearly.  
  
        Sometimes she thought perhaps she understood his pain better than he did, though she hadn't known in the beginning. She had to thank him for his cruelty to her, for if not for his brutal bluntness and distain of shallow-minded people, she might not have learned to understand the human soul. But that was part of what she loved about him.  
  
        She put her face in her free hand, and fought with herself mentally, emotionally. She still wanted to reach out to him. To touch him, to comfort him, to be by his side, to protect him, to be there no matter what might happen. She fisted her hand and punched herself in the face.  
  
        "You must keep your emotions on the inside...." She said to herself quietly "And possess a heart that shows no tears...." She trailed of as tears fell from her eyes onto the monument, spreading into the letters carved in the stone.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------        Naruto felt like a complete bastard. It had been an accident that he'd stumbled on the scene, just before Sakura started crying. He was about to hail her when she spoke Sasuke's name out loud. Seemingly almost unintentionally from what he could tell.  
  
        He felt his blood run cold. He had promised himself, that same moment he'd promised that he'd bring Sasuke back to the village, that he'd give up being a wishful admirer of Sakura and become a friend like never before. But in that moment, when she started crying silently, he hated Sasuke once more, like every-time Sasuke had done something to hurt her and never even realized.  
  
        But he wouldn't try for Sakura, no it would be a betrayal of her trust, when she had so openly shown her emotions to him, when she had been so vulnerable. He'd always be the man she could rely on, if nothing else.  
  
        But he still felt like a complete bastard. Witnessing the suffering of his teammate who had grown so much, learned so well how to hide behind a wall that Naruto could easily recognize as a kindred spirit. He'd seen through the secret door that had no key, and in that, he'd violated her. He never wanted anyone to see him in his moments of weakness, and at this moment he made another promise to himself. He'd forever keep this secret in his heart as well.  
  
        It was not meant to be known, not even to the one who this secret belonged to. He never wanted to see her suffer, even indirectly, for his sake.  
        He didn't move until long after she'd left.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------        They met at the bridge, where so many times, for so many missions, the two had met before, plus the one other and their mentor that composed the team. Sasuke was there first, which was only one of the many differences in this somehow nostalgic meeting.  
  
        Sakura approached from the far side of the bridge, opposite of the usual direction she came from. Sasuke glanced over at her, not surprised but there was something about his behavior that suggested he had expected her to come from the opposite direction.  
  
        "Running errands?" He queried as she got closer. Sakura shook her head, and Sasuke noticed she'd lost a lot of the girlish mannerisms he used to think were such a waste of energy. Of course it had never been remotely noticeable next to Naruto, class A idiot on overspending energy of every kind.  
  
        "No, I came strait from home, I took care of any business yesterday" She said in reply, stopping slightly off to the side. Sasuke noted that she'd also lost the energy to her voice. It wasn't emotionless, or lifeless by far, but it held an obvious preference for monotone that seemed foreign to her, in Sasuke's mind. Yet the most foreign thing, was how casual the many differences he noticed were, as if she'd been like this longer than anyones memory.  
  
        He found himself wondering what she'd been doing in those last three years. He found himself also not wanting to know, though there was no cause for him to think her experiences might have been unpleasant.  
  
        "I live in an apartment on my own now, not far from where you live in fact." Sakura went on. She'd moved out because she didn't think she could stand being around her family constantly anymore. They were prone to a lot of prying, and were very affectionate. She didn't want to explain the first time she flinched, or reacted violently when someone touched her. it would be too much to have to constantly be on her guard.  
  
        "By the market district then." Sasuke said, slightly bothered at the way he felt the need to keep the silence at bay, when usually he'd scoff at the thought of small talk. What was this atmosphere. It wasn't quite uncomfortable, or even unpleasant... it was, distant was the only way he could put it.  
  
        Sakura nodded at his deduction, and he almost got annoyed that she didn't continue with a reply. What was wrong with him today. They stood in silence for moments longer, waiting for Kakashi, a task that often proved futile at best.  
  
        Sasuke remembered vaguely one time they'd all showed up late, thinking that he wouldn't be there yet. He had been early that day. Or so he said, the only point was he'd arrived before them. Sasuke had been suspicious that he really watched and waited for an hour or more every-time he was late.  
  
        Then it hit him. The difference in the atmosphere. Usually there was an air of discomfort from Sakura, a dislike of the distance Sasuke kept with thought, and action. Usually she nervously tried to fill the silence. Yet this time Sasuke had found himself almost doing that instead.  
  
        She seemed perfectly comfortable while it was he that was left with an air of waiting. Was it because he was so used to the routine that he tried to fulfill it subconsciously? He couldn't actually be missing her usual behavior. Or maybe he was.  
  
        Sakura stood still next to him, perfectly patient. it would be hard to guess that she was waiting for anyone at all, a passerby might think that it had been in her plans to take a few hours to stare over the bridge. Sasuke wasn't himself sure, whether that was or was not the case.  
  
        It was easier this way, Sasuke thought. He himself felt all emotion or contemplation flowing out of his body like a breath of air. He stared slightly upward, his hands in their usual resting place in his pockets as he stood in relaxation. Oblivious to everything around him, paying attention to every detail, every leaf in the wind. A practice in focus. A fundamental skill for a hunter like him.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------        Kakashi was, as usual, late. Although not as late as he'd been known to be, but not early enough for it to be overly strange. He wanted to emphasize the importance of this mission without overdoing it. He didn't want anybody to get apprehensive or nervous. Though with this pair it shouldn't be much of a problem.  
  
        It was sometimes disturbing to think that Sasuke had gotten better than him in skill. The true sharingan was a terrifying tool. But at the same time it was a good thing. He would need it to achieve the goal he wished to, though kakashi still didn't approve of revenge, he could well understand it. Knowing that it was a futile effort was for those that had already experienced it, or a rare few that ran by a rare logic. It required a lot of support not to fall to the side of an avenger.  
  
        It was a simple thought, revenge, when all you had was nothing. Destroyed. Everything Sasuke had know as a child had been broken. Kakashi was sure though, that Sasuke had forgotten the feeling of loss that had prompted his desire for revenge.  
  
        No in Sasuke's case it was the feeling of betrayal. His brother, who Sasuke had adored and admired above all others had rejected him. Sasuke likely at times felt that he should have died as well that he had not been judged worthy of death.  
  
        Kakashi could read people without the help of the sharingan, and his experience told him that the fact that Sasuke believed his brother wished him to be an avenger was to fill the gap in his existence that was reason. He didn't feel he'd have any reason for existing otherwise.  
  
        If Sasuke had been older when everything happened. Things would have gone differently. But the reasoning of a child can cary on to adulthood if it has enough meaning behind it. As one grows older, they will keep the same goal, yet create new reasoning new logic that is appropriate to their age of understanding.  
  
        Kakashi just hoped Sasuke would live through the trails ahead of him.  
  
        And then there was Sakura. She hadn't fallen behind by any means in her training or skill, though hers was all based around the one talent she had that many did not. An all important trait for a Ninja. Innocuousness. She was easily underestimated.  
  
        But her skill was consistent even though it often seemed only by miracle that she survived. She could constantly try her best, and do her best. It was in fact, a skill few had. Most people tried too hard or too little, yet she knew her limits and strengths.  
  
        She was intelligent, and hard to read, she had mastered the basics, where many just learned only enough to specialize in an art of offense. People always looked for, expected her to do something flashier, something more, and when she did just what they might have easily expected, had they just known she wasn't anything 'special'. She was entirely mediocre, in an age where ninja had forgotten that bloodlines meant nothing. And that was why she was better than even Sasuke in some ways. She was so obvious that no one would ever suspect it.  
  
        And now she was good enough to not make mistakes. In battle the first mishap could loose you your life.  
  
        Yet, Kakashi had never known Sakura's goals nor feelings well. She had been very obvious when she was younger, but women grew more complicated as they aged, and now the gap he'd had with Sakura as the student he least understood had only grown wider.  
  
        He wished that wasn't the case, because he could tell she needed someone to be close to her now. Even if she didn't know it.  
  
        He looked at the two of them for five minutes before he spoke. And they did nothing other than return the gaze unabashedly. Kakashi thought that they had grown similar in action while they had been apart. Why was that, he wondered. A question that likely would never be answered.  
  
        "Well It's time for your pre-mission debriefing I suppose" he started finally. Sasuke gave a slight nod. Sakura just waited, with relaxed poise.  
  
        "This may be a little hard to believe" he said "But the easiest way to get through is to be someone who obviously doesn't belong" He nodded at Sakura "You probably already know this much" She nodded back. "Well then I'll let you explain for a bit." She gave him an amused look.  
  
        "Since we're going into closed, and constantly surveyed territory, they'll be looking for anything that tries to slip through."  
  
        "Spies most often come in guises that are covered very well, they'll be looking at anyone who constantly moves in or out, whether they have reasons or not. They also have their own ninjas, so the standard tactics won't work."  
  
        "Or so we would assume. Since they know that we'll be looking for a way in, they cover everything. Our best chance would be something obvious, someone who doesn't belong, and doesn't have an excuse to get in."  
  
        "In other words, the best plan will be to have no plan, because a plan can be traced. Yet we still can't just go in as ourselves. We'll need a cover. Probably something vague, maybe with obvious holes."  
  
        "In general we want them to think that there's no way we could be spies with such a faulty plan or cover. We want to convince them that we're running away from something, but are not a threat." Sakura finished he explanation.  
  
        "Right." Kakashi affirmed. "They can only keep people out if it doesn't interfere with civilians. But they are allowed to go to any means to uproot spies. So although you might make it in, you're going to have to maintain your 'cover' as you look for your target. When you find him, it doesn't matter if they find out who you are. Go wild. You'll need it."  
  
        "That's the basic gist of it though. I can't tell you how to do it, and when you figure it out, you can't tell me what you're planning. Leaks are not allowable, failure is not an option. That's all, you're free to go." he finished, waving them off with his hand.  
  
        Afterwards he disappeared in a stereotypical ninja puff of smoke.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------        "You seem to have more experience, so I'll let you decide how we're going to do this" Sasuke said as they were left to their own devices. Sakura looked at him for a moment.  
  
        "Taking the easy way out, huh?" She asked, but then went on "It's probably better that way, You're right. I have more experience." She smiled a little wickedly. Sasuke glared at her. Sakura wondered why she was acting like this.  
  
        She thought she would have held back more, been more silent, more distant. But here she was, picking on him? She didn't even pretend to get it herself. Yet it would be a bad idea to look confused at the moment, so she opted for just going with it.  
  
        "Let's get to the point though" She said. "It would be best if we posed as some sort of fugitive duo. I was thinking spies for an allied side with the region we're going. it would give them a reason not to want to refuse us right away."  
  
        "We'll leave a lot of loose ends, buy as much time as possible to be there while they trail us and trace us. This would be a lot easier to plan if it were just me, but it wouldn't be smart to go up against that missing nin alone so I've got to figure out what you can do."  
  
        "If this is going to work you've got to completely and utterly believe the role you're in, without sacrificing either your mission or your cover. It shouldn't be too hard with this, but I suggest we spend some time practicing. You can opt for either siblings or a couple. Whichever you think might be easier. You don't have to decide now." Sakura said. She was about to continue on.  
  
        "Siblings is out of the question." Sasuke said immediately. Sakura gave him an odd look for a moment, but realizing his eyes had shifted into sharingan at the very mention of siblings she nodded.  
  
        "Alright." She said "But it may be difficult for you to pretend affection for me. Do you think you can do it?" Sakura asked. Sasuke leaned on the railing of the bridge and connected his hands together in front of his face.  
  
        "I'll do whatever is necessary." He said seriously. Sakura believed he would.  
  
        "Well don't go overboard. Try to think what you would do if you cared for someone, not what others would do." Sakura smiled slightly for a moment. "I don't want to see any naruto-like enthusiasm coming from you." She leaned against the railing about two feet away from him. Closer than she'd been in years.  
  
        "Ahou" Was all Sasuke said in reply, not even glancing in her direction.  
  
        "Well, we've got the basic plan then. We want to keep it vague so we can change things when needed. Maybe it would be better if we were in the middle of some kind of disagreement." Sakura pushed away from the railing. "I'll think about it for a while. I need to set some things up..." She said as she walked off. Sasuke sat there for a few moments until she was far enough away that she was fading out of site. He turned to watch her fade off between the buildings.  
  
        "She's changed" he murmured to himself as he also turned to leave. They'd meet early the next morning. But this time they'd be leaving, and not waiting for anyone else.  
  
        'I don't know if I like or dislike this' sasuke thought to himself. But he couldn't refuse. Not when it was his job, and not when his brother might be involved. He wondered what Itachi would think about his younger brother also becoming an Anbu like he had.  
  
         


	2. IIIn Dreams

**---**Author Note**---**

-  
  
        Sasuke out of character? Well I don't know about that, He's a really hard character to write sometimes though, but if anything like that is really off, please feel free to criticize me. I don't take it too badly. -

Disclaimer:

I'm crazy and I believe I have every right to these characters, sue me all you want but I'm not getting any money for this anyway, and I'll get off on the 'I'm poor damnit!' defense. - 

Warning:

Graphic Dream Content. Children beware! It may seem gratuitous but it's important to the story! 

- 

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-  
  


**Chapter Two**:

_When we dream, can we see the future?_  
  
        It was often hard to believe it had been a month since their mission had started, and just now was it finally getting underway. Sasuke was feeling a little anxious. A month was a long time, and who knows where their target would be now. Was this entire trip going to be futile?  
  
        It made him wonder why it was so important. They hadn't been told many details about it. Or at least he hadn't. Sometimes things that Sakura did or said suggested that she might have more foreknowledge than he on the matter and it made him feel like he was being toyed with. He really didn't like that.  
  
        But there wasn't much he could do about it. He was driven by his desire to finally meet with his brother, and finish what he'd been wanting to do all this time. Driven as much as he was horribly afraid of it. A little boy who hoped to catch up to something beyond his grasp. What if it still wasn't enough? What if Itachi had still kept improving at the same rate...  
  
        There was little point in worrying about it. No there was absolutely no point in worrying about it. Killing Itachi was what he meant to do. The very reason he was still alive, he breathed every breath one closer to Itachi's last. Just thinking about it, Sasuke felt the slight chakara shift to his eyes, and the increase in senses that came with the sharingan.  
  
        It was a flaw that kept him from doing any real spy work for so long, partially why he was Anbu, not any other of the various jobs someone of his skill could be. He couldn't quite control it, despite his control over his abilities themselves. It was a second nature to him, and as he worked, he had gotten used to just never dropping the sharingan.  
  
        He raised his hand to his shoulder as he forcefully dropped the unconscious chance. He still remembered a time when using any chakara had been a big problem, due to the curse seal, that although dead, was still very much a scar on his neck. Maybe that had lead to his almost obsessive use of his own skills. He'd almost fallen to relying on someone else's power.  
  
        Yet in the end, it had been Naruto that had convinced him of his folly, he grimaced at the same time as he fought a slight sardonic smile. The dobe was the last person on earth he'd ever wanted to come to his aid, or be such a good friend. But over the years, they'd grown closer than either of them wanted to admit to themselves, each other, or anyone else.  
  
        Sasuke stood up and left the tent they had been staying in. It had become a ritual, Sakura woke up earlier than him no matter what time he woke up, and seemed to give him some time to his own on purpose each morning.  
  
        Or maybe she was taking some time for herself. He wasn't sure it mattered either way. They were both likely grateful for it, both having to spend so much time in each other's company. It never failed to surprise him how silent she could be. It wasn't a quality she'd ever displayed much around him before.  
  
        They had started acting as a couple only a week after Sakura had set up whatever loose ends she said they needed to leave. She didn't involve him at all in it, and didn't tell him what she had done afterwards either.  
  
        He made too many mistakes at first. Which was why she had suggested they start working on it even before they needed to. He had found no fault in that reasoning. He was even more grateful for it after all the messes he'd seemed to make.  
  
        At first she would correct him right away, this seemed to fake, that seemed to much, you're trying too hard. It was one thing after another, and he felt resentful of her being in the position of teacher. Yet he well valued the importance of her superior knowledge and didn't outwardly show what he knew were childish emotions.  
  
        Then when he still failed to improve much, she started ignoring when he did thing wrong. She fell one hundred percent into character, and he found himself wondering. Yet not even knowing what he should, or could even wonder about.  
  
        He started to puck things up by example, though after two weeks he still hadn't gotten it, there was only one or two mistakes he still made, and he could tell something wasn't quite right, but not what it was, because she wouldn't step out of character for even a moment enough to tell him.  
  
        Then she started pointing it out, in a way that it took him a while to catch on. She'd turn the conversations, or react in ways, or with emotions as if he had done something other than what he did. And then he caught on, she was reacting to what he should have done or said, not to what he had, so all he had to do was try to figure out what to do to make her react like she had been.  
  
        When he caught on, she started repeating conversations they had, with slight variations, in ways that they weren't either of them going out of character, but he could learn better.  
  
        When he finally got how everything was going to work, that the point was not to be flawless but natural, she finally paused a moment to explain things to him.  
  
  _      "My own teacher taught me in similar way" She had started. "I was in a slump as to what I could do to improve, and I was always trying too hard. No matter what she told me it didn't sink in." Sakura had looked at him for a moment there, as if measuring him. "It's only because you're so similar in mistakes to what I was that I could so quickly figure out a way to show you."  
  
        "We're both top students, used to dong exactly what is necessary to succeed, to pass, to learn, to excel. But in this there lies a problem of thinking too much. Sometimes we take what someone says to literally, try to apply it either absolutely, or precisely." Sakura had paused again at this moment. And sasuke had waited for her to go on, but while taking the moment to absorb what had been said so far. He had felt that he would need to know exactly what she had been talking about to understand what she had said next.  
  
        "The art of subterfuge isn't about precise actions. Nor is it about knowing exactly what to do at all times. it's about trusting yourself, and your feelings. And also knowing that mistakes don't always mean death, you just have to be fast enough to go with your instincts and find a way to work anything to your favor. "  
  
        "And above all, you have to believe your role. No matter what someone says to you about how they know who you are, what you are, react as you would were you who you had pretended to be."  
  
        "You don't know the secret's they're torturing you for, whatever they're searching for you don't understand. Maybe even you think they're looking for something else and are frightened that they'll expose your dark secret."  
  
        "But no matter what happens, you life as a shinobi never existed, never will exist again. Especially not if you fail here." Sakura had looked at him intensely until she was sure it had sunk in.  
  
        "But also, the purpose of this, was also for you to get used to my character. It wouldn't do for you to be surprised at every little thing I did. We have to be natural, as if we have been around each other so long that some responses are so old that thinking beforehand is a forgotten concept."  
  
 _       After that, she'd left for a few hours, and when she came back, they were both different people, that knew each other well.  
  
        Sometimes it was eerie to Sasuke how easy it was, but he knew in the end it was because of her skill. If she hadn't been so sincere in her own 'acting' he wouldn't have been able to carry it off. He wouldn't be able to do it alone. He only grudgingly admitted it to himself, but it was too entirely true. He needed her help in this. But how much? He wouldn't know until later, when he firsthand saw the tension apparent in the situation they'd be going through.  
  
        Yet here they were, only a short few days from the border. Both looking as they had been through a long and haggard journey.  
  
        It was only beginning. Sasuke frowned to himself a bit. He was really pretty unsure of how things would go. Sakura looked at him and smiled a little nervously. And in the back of his mind, he knew she was calmer than that by far. He knew it was just an act, an he'd gotten used to it, but it still disturbed him, to see her acting so different, and so real, when it was mostly all a lie.  
  
        Yet luckily his professionalism served him well, and he used those emotions to feed into his own 'act'.  
  
  

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      The country was cold, and they were approaching the first vestiges of snow, coating both the ground and trees as far as they could see. They trekked slowly, not using their superior movement and balance to travel lightly over the snow. Having known the basics of movement from a very early age sasuke was still surprised with how heavy snow could seem even when all you were doing was sinking into it with each passing step.  
  
        He found himself glad for the warmer clothing he was wearing, used to moving more he wasn't used to the cold that threatened to penetrate with every pause between steps. There was forest on each side of them, but forward and behind them stretched a wide clearing as far as they could see. There were signs of trees having been recently cut, near where the forest started, and Sasuke found himself wondering if this entire area had once been covered in dense trees. The huge clearing was unnatural in it's shape, and he suspected it passed as a road, where none could be easily maintained due to the consistent snow.  
  
        It would have been even colder and more miserable, but it was late summer and even here, the cold season hadn''t yet begun. he wasn't looking forward to being here for it.  
  
        With the air clear of snow, it was easy to see anyone approaching for miles.  
  
        A border patrol confronted them first. Or at least what seemed like a border patrol, with the pair's experience in identifying others in the same trade, they knew otherwise, but were careful not to be overly nervous, or more so than fit the role they were playing.  
  
        They must have made quite a sight, dressed as they were, their clothes run ragged from what was supposed to have been a difficult flight. They obviously had taken off their forehead protectors, and all marks that designated them to konoha.  
  
        Sasuke had donned an outfit not unlike the one he'd wore as a genin, the only real change being that the white shorts were replaced by a pair of well fitted black pants, and he wore a dull grey travel wrap over his shoulders, which concealed even more of his face.  
  
        Sakura had donned a furred long coat, not something Sasuke had ever thought about her wearing. she wore the hood down, her hair pulled bac in a loose half ponytail, the bangs still hanging forward. Her pants were also well cut and both coat and pants were a deep purple accentuated only by the white and grey fur lining.  
  
        Yet they both looked a little worn, having had to run from their alibi, a group of ninjas that had chased them to the border, but no further. It would be helpful in backing up their story, and Sasuke wouldn't have thought of the play himself. He was glad Sakura was in charge of such things.  
  
        "State your business!" a tall guard who seemed to be the leader of the group demanded. Sakura looked at Sasuke a bit nervously, she was playing the role of a more submissive companion. She played it so that she still looked self sufficient, yet used to relying on the man beside her. Sasuke didn't think it fit his image of her at all, but she pulled it off amazingly well. He stepped slightly in front of her, in order to appear somewhat protective. He had to admit that sometimes her acting made him feel like he was just carrying out his own desires, not acting himself.  
  
        "We're here to ask for sanctuary" Sasuke spoke up on a matter of fact tone. The guard frowned at him as he contemplated this.  
  
        "Explain." He said, wanting them to further expound on their reasons.  
  
        "We've been hunted by the fire country suspected as spies, and we'd like political sanctuary." The guard narrowed his eyes, and for a moment Sasuke had a twinge that maybe it hadn't worked, that the other ninjas had seen them for what they were. But no, it wouldn't be an issue, as he never said that they weren't spies.  
  
        It seemed more like the guard was put off by the trouble this would cause more than anything else. Sasuke smirked, glad for the wrap that would cover his expression. They had no right to refuse them entrance, if Sakura had been correct in her information. He knew it wasn't good to lapse like that, and when sakura stepped a little closer behind him, tentatively grabbing his arm, he knew she had noticed. He dropped the smirk, feeling a little chagrinned, but not about to admit it, even mentally to himself.  
  
        "Go head" The guard finally aid gruffly after a long pause. He obviously wasn't happy with this, and Sasuke was quite sure now that the man suspected something, yet couldn't prove to or do anything about it at the moment. He could only hope that it was more due to a suspicious nature than any slip up on his or Sakura's part, because it likely wouldn't be her that had messed up.  
  
        Sasuke and Sakura passed by them after a slow pause in which the groups stared at each other, until the guard looked away as if to dismiss them entirely. When they had almost completely passed the guards, sasuke turned his head sharply looking back at them. A man in the back was looking a him with a malicious half smile, he shook his head as if to shake an image that had falsely presented itself to him, how had he not noticed the man before.  
  
        He fought to control the impulse for his eyes to change over, shutting off his chakara fluctuation as unobtrusively as possible. For a moment, out of the corner of his eye, the man had looked like Itachi. He could only half brush it off, since the man was the same height, but otherwise there was no resemblance.  
  
        He turned forward again, noting that Sakura was looking at him with a sharp expression. He didn't want to do anything too suspicious while the guards were still around.  
  
        "I'll be watching you" the man in the back whispered, and it seemed to echo in Sasuke's mind. He was about to look around again, but sakura's grip tightened slightly on his arm. Something didn't feel right, and he wasn't free to follow his instincts. He really wasn't cut out for such duplicity, when just keeping to himself seemed more than he could handle at times.  
  
 

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       Sakura was a bit perturbed. She had also sensed something wrong as they had left the company of the guards. It felt like genjutsu. Yet she hadn't seen anything strange.  
  
        She had only figured out it had been directed at Sasuke when he continued to look back at the space behind the guards, but nothing was there. The feeling faded only seconds after it had arrived, and although she wanted to brush it off, it sunk deep into her mind, waiting for further occurrences that might back up her uneasiness  
  
        She didn't want trouble this early in what would prove to be a difficult mission.  
  
        Soon night arrived, and they both found themselves tired from trudging through the thick snow. They detoured into the forest a ways for a camp site that wouldn't be too obvious from the road. They set up a fire and ate. Sasuke called the first watch, and Sakura didn't object.  
  
        She suddenly felt rather sleepy. She had wanted to muse on the future of their trip, and what course of action she would take to make sure she wasn't too lax in her observations. She knew that here was something going on but she couldn't put her finger on it. She didn't want it sneaking up on them while they were too vulnerable. Not when they had to hold so much back. Sasuke wasn't near as good as this as she, and although he was a stronger fighter, she had a feeling that this time, it might be more of a problem than a help.  
  
        She rolled up in blankets, and pulled the sleeping bag around her as the fire started to slowly die. Sasuke was standing at attention still just in her range of sight. She slowly let her eyelids drop into a deep sleep as she looked longingly at his back.  
  
        Sasuke wasn't standing in her sight. He had picked a tree with a good vantage point of both the campsite, and the surrounding area. He thought it odd that Sakura had insisted on taking the first watch. Since she had picked up this role, she had pretty much let him lead by all appearances from someone who might have been watching. That included letting him take the first watch, usually.  
  
        He still refused to sleep on the ground though, something she had become used to and didn't object too much about. It seemed not to interfere with their masquerade. He looked down at her, as she stood diagonally from him looking outward. He could see the top of her head at a birds eye view, and he briefly noted to himself that she was standing a bit different, her body a little straighter than she usually stood. Her legs were probably tired as well from the snow. He turned away and closed his eyes, determined to sleep while he could.  
  
        That night they both dreamed.  
  
    

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    In the darkened room they could barely make out the outline of each other. The pradicament they were in was an unplanned for one, but not an unexpected possibility considering the nature of their charade.  
  
        The room they were in was small, not much more than a closet. It seemed to have been used as one at one time, because of the cold temperature of the air. The walls were barren except for one window on the wall perpendicular to the door filtered in light that only his barely above their heads in the high ceilinged roof.  
  
        "We've got to make it look real" Sakura whispered to Sasuke, holding his face in her hands as she stood close enough to him that they could feel each others body heat. Sasuke sucked in a breath and breathed out shallowly, his warm breath visible in the cold air. "we can't afford to fail this, not now."  
  
        He nodded at her, knowing that they were left with no choice but to follow through, yet he felt an odd sort of anticipation bordering on longing. It was a foreign feeling, he looked a little deeper at Sakura. He could see it in her face, and in her eyes. He wasn't surprised by it either, only relieved that it was still there. She wasn't a stranger to this longing. Not when he was involved.  
  
        Sasuke closed his eyes softly as they leaned toward each other, engaging in a kiss. His hand found it's way up her side under her shirt, skin to skin. He thought vaguely that this was too simple, something was wrong. He found himself sinking to easily into the sensation. What happened to his detachment he never felt this passionate unless his brother was around.  
  
        Itachi, his eyes opened wide, was he here? Yet instead of going on the alert, he groaned as Sakura's hands fell down his body, trailing down his chest. His eyes closed again, half against his will as he opened his mouth to devour Sakura's.  
  
        He had no experience, he had no idea what he was doing, but it felt too good to matter. He stepped towards her, backing her into the wall and running his hands up her arms, pinning them above her head. He stepped even himself closer, leaving absolutely no space between them.  
  
        His mouth pulled away from hers and he almost thought he heard her whimper. He tuned his attention to the corner of her neck, eliciting a moan as he nibbled and then sucked on it. He smirked at he sound, letting his unoccupied hand run under her shirt again, this time going higher and resting just under the mound of her breast.  
  
        She arched towards him and he let go of her arms to slip his other hand under her shirt. He stepped back slightly, letting enough room between them for his hands to slide up simultaneously, a thumb resting on each nipple.  
  
        He paused there, realizing that Sakura was holding her breath. He looked at her and he eyes looked slightly desperate, as if she wasn't sure whether moving or staying still would help her cause more. He moved his thumbs slightly and she sucked in a breath, which placed her breasts more firmly in his hands.  
  
        He stopped his exploration in anticipation and started to explore her body all out. He pulled her shirt off, aided by her lifting her arms to allow him to do so, and afterwards his hands started at her face caressing down her neck and then further down her body slowly.  
  
        His mouth followed the trail his hands made, stopping on her breasts, where he had two hands but only one mouth. He divided his attention between them as his hands continued the journey down, pausing only momentarily on the hem of her pants, before slipping past the barrier and tracing the line of her hips to where her legs attached to her body.  
  
        She was arching against him now, both in order to give him better access to her breasts and to encourage the exploration of his hands. But his hands stopped, pulling out of her pants. She almost protested when his hands were back on her, this time pulling her pants off as well as her underwear.  
  
        When he had finished disrobing her, she stepped forward, grabbing the hem of his shirt and pulling upward. He lifted his arms to help her remove it. She ran her hands from the top of his body and kneeled before him as they trailed lower, resting on the hem of his pants. He briefly thought that she knew exactly what she was doing, but he was distracted from that thought by her kneeling there. The submissive position turned him on more than he would have thought possible.  
  
        She pulled his pants down and when he lifted his leg so she could remove them completely, she pulled his other leg out from under him. After a moment of not knowing what she was doing, and taking back any thought of submissiveness he might have applied to Sakura, Sasuke thudded to the ground. The ground was cold, but it felt good, his body felt like it was burning up, all his blood was rushing through his body and concentrating downward.  
  
        Sakura straddled him, her nude form barely haloed with the slight amount of light that filtered in the otherwise dark room as she crawled up his body. He felt content to lie there and see what she was about to do next, though the anticipation was definitely getting to him in a painful way. And the skin to skin contact wasn't helping.  
  
        He let his eyes rove her body, pausing as the bad light revealed what seemed to be scars across her body, but she moved again and they were gone. He couldn't be sure it wasn't just a trick of the light, and she was currently grabbing his hands and guiding them up her sides which lowered the importance of that thought to insignificant.  
  
        She placed his hands on her breasts, and for the brief moment that her hands still held his there he smirked at the optical illusion that she was herself holding her own breasts. His smirk fell as she let go and grabbed him at the source of his desire, he closed his eyes as she guided him to her, sinking down on him.  
  
        His throat closed to all sound and his hands reflexively tightened, reminding him that she was in his hands. He let his hands tease her breast as he reveled in the new sensation, the warm hot tightness around him. Despite the tightness, it was with ease that she sunk down on him, and the slick friction had him golding his breath.  
  
        She moved slowly after an unbearable moment of silence, and he let his hands run down her sides and settle on her hips, fighting the urge to take control of the excruciatingly slow pace.  
  
        Yet just when he was about to loose the battle, she leaned further forward and started to increase the speed, her entire upper body brushed against his with every movement and a feather touch. He felt a familiar building sensation. He knew what would be coming soon, and despite the fact that the pleasure was tenfold what he was used to, he was determined to hold back until she reached the same line.  
  
        He looked at her face and for the first moment realized that she wasn't as indifferent or in control as she seemed, her eyes were straining to close and a look of unfounded pleasure was etched across her face.  
  
        He grabbed her face with his hands and claimed it in a brutal kiss as he rolled them over, placing himself on top and taking control of the pace. He softened his hiss, but in no way slowed it as his tongue claimed her mouth. She met every thrust with her own, matching his movements and barely resisting the sounds that threatened to escape her mouth, thanks only to the fact that it was occupied.

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        Sakura woke up sweating, awakened by a silent Sasuke. It must be time for her watch. She stood, composed. A skill she had perfected over years of such dreams concerning the same object of desire. Her breath was still shaky and her pulse racing, but thankfully, when she looked towards Sasuke, he was gone. She looked up to see him already asleep in the tree above them. He was fast.  
  
        She put her hands to her face, feeling the blush that she could no longer fight back, she snuck a look at Sasuke, letting the longing show on her face, her true, untainted emotions, only to be seen by the face of sleep. He looked so peaceful, despite the slight frown that always seemed to grace his face.  
  
        If he had been any closer, she had no doubt that she would not be able to resist reaching out to touch him. She cursed whatever creature carried the dreams to her that made her feel so vulnerable. Yet sometimes they were the only thing that carried her through troubled times, silver lining on the pitch black storm-cloud that was the life of the kunoichi. Yet it could never be more than fantasy. She tuned away from him forcefully, gazing off into the pure snow of the landscape, at the two sets of footprints, side by side, that still marred the scenery, yet added a bittersweet note to an otherwise flawless horizon.

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        Sasuke was yet still dreaming. Caught up in the maelstrom of feeling, approaching the culmination of the event that had been stirred from him by their joining. He had held back well so far, and was fast approaching the moment he could let go with Sakura. She had trusted herself into his hands and was no longer holding back the breathy moans and occasional squeaks that came from her mouth.  
  
        He was lost in the sexiness of those sounds. And in a moment he would be lost entirely in her. Yet that moment was interrupted.  
  
        Sakura threw her weight to the side, flipping them so that she would be above him, and he was about to admonish her for not being more careful when he was inside her. He forgot his slight disturbing jolt of discomfort though, when with a slight gurgle, blood spilt like a fountain over her lips, stopping after only a moment.  
  
        It streamed down the sides of her mouth, the red on her lips contrasting with the fading pallor of her skin. It was quickly becoming white, and the warmth was fading from her face, though the rest of her body was still warm  
  
        Yet he heard it, her heartbeat, erratic, choking. He panicked, afraid to move her, as she coughed, her eyes staring at him as if pleading, blood flecked across his face, and for the second time in his life, the substance burnt like poison.  
  
        His hands shook as he lifted her up, standing up at the same moment. Metal clanged to the ground, a shuriken covered in blood. He could almost taste the coppery tang that would accompany the substance. Then he realized that some of her blood had dripped down his face to the corner of his mouth. He looked about, searching for the perpetrator.  
  
        Adrenaline hadn't kicked in yet, not as it usually did when there was an attack eminent. He hadn't even sensed anyone. She had been as much into the deed as he, so how had she noticed when he hadn't, he looked down at her. She smiled feebly, more of a grimace, the light fading from her eyes. His grip tightened on her.  
  
        Don't go.  
  
        The though barely escaped his shocked mind before she spoke.  
  
        "If..." She started, gurgling a bit from the blood in her mouth, then coughing up the offending substance, making way for the words she forced past her lips. "If you died, the mission would surely fail" She said, clasping at him with her hands, desperately, as if she were saying something completely different than the words she had spoken. She strained to lift a hand to his face, but failed halfway, her entire body going lip at once, a spurt of blood hitting the ground with the exhalation of her last breath.  
  
        Sasuke placed her on the ground, looking up as he felt the crystal clarity that came with the sharingan eyes, yet this time there was a detachment from the change that he couldn't even begin to understand. Warm liquid dropped down his face, but he couldn't even distinguish whether it was blood or tears.

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        Sasuke woke up with nothing more than the effort it took to open his eyes. It took a moment for him to get reoriented. He blinked a few times, lifting a hand to his forehead and brushing it through his hair.  
  
        "What the hell was that." he said quietly, not sure how to be effected by the strange dream. He stood up and dropped from the tree, too distracted to even wonder at the fact that Sakura had never woken him for his watch.  
  
         


	3. IIIRipples

**---**Author Note**---**

-

        I was off at a con, but I don't think this was a huuuge delay.. so no real excuses from me.

- 

Disclaimer:

I'm crazy and I believe I have every right to these characters, sue me all you want but I'm not getting any money for this anyway, and I'll get off on the 'damn Itachi is hot' defense. 

- 

Warning:

Fight! Not too violent... just yet..... but don't despair, this is just the beginning! - 

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-  
  
**Chapter Three:**

_Will ripples of the past continue to reach the present?_  
  
-

----------------------------  
  
        They had made it to civilization once again without any adverse events. Thankfully. Sasuke wasn't even remotely sure how they would search for the missing nin. Teinen, the name of an advanced bloodline. There were so few details about the target that it was almost ridiculous to even go after him.  
  
        Sakura apparently had talked to someone who had known him, but they were old and slightly senile. Was it another monstrosity like Orochimaru? Someone who defied the precepts of age and mortality? How could he be such a threat when it had been over forty years since he'd gone missing. Even Tsunade had only been a child when he was a threat.  
  
        More than actually hunting him down, Sasuke suspected that the had been sent to discover the truth. He had been reflecting on this mission the entire quiet way here. He'd felt a little disturbed since the first night they sent in snow country and he just couldn't shake the thought that some obvious fact was staring strait at him. He just couldn't figure out what.  
  
        Teinen Kagami. A recessive gene born of a bloodline that had been thought to be entirely wiped out. How many times had Sasuke heard of it happening now, advanced bloodlines being wiped out overnight. It was impossible, he thought, for a child to be born of an advanced bloodline from someone who hadn't inherited. Kagami had been only a distant cousin, yet he had been born of abilities only he ever grew to understand. No one even knew o fear it until it was too late.  
  
        Some people had speculated that he had been a reincarnation of the last killed member of the Teinen clan. His appearance was said to look exactly as his ancestors had. It didn't help their mission much to have that information though. There were no pictures.  
  
        But this family had been strange. It had been so long ago they had died, even before the first Hokage. Teinen hadn't actually been an advanced ninja bloodline, so maybe that was why the normal rules didn't apply. They had been born of a family of seers. Something that had been hunted down far before Advanced Bloodlines had even ben a thought whispered by fate.  
  
        Sasuke himself held back an involuntary shudder at the thought. Someone who could see into the depths of your soul, who could predict the future. Not that any real facts were left on the nature of seers, nothing more than heresy.  
  
        They hadn't been warriors though, or ninjas. Sasuke wasn't sure what had driven them to become such, and nothing had been told to him of the cause.  
  
        Kagami, was there something in the meaning of that name that gave away any clue as to what they were up against? No that would be too simple. And not even Kagami's parents had likely known what he would become.  
  
        Sasuke closed his eyes as he thought of his own true motivation to be on this mission. Itachi. His eyes still burned every-time he thought of his older sibling. He let them burn behind his closed eyelids. It had become his only defense on this mission.  
  
        Why were they even there, Sasuke couldn't help but think to himself for, who knows how many times it had been now. Everything just felt wrong, and nothing had even happened yet.  
  
        He could only pretend to imagine how wrong things would feel when everything finally fell out from beneath them.  
  
        ----------------------------  
  
        Ulterior motives were what Kakashi was worried about back in Konoha. Because he knew the true secret beneath the mission he'd sent his former students off to. There was no way they'd be able to track down the ninja with such little information. And it really wasn't why they were even there.  
  
        Bait, a decoy. Tsunade, although she hadn't told the two, had known Kagami personally when she was a child, and he'd had a pretty strait- forward reason for the things he did.  
  
        Half insanity, Tsunade had told him, but the rest a whole lot of cunning set on the precipice of perpetual boredom. He was always looking for a challenge. It had been a dirty thing she had done to Sasuke and Sakura.  
  
        They were strong enough, and smart enough to attract his attention, but blind enough of the trap they were walking into to scare him off.  
  
        They'd been tracing any accounts since his reappearance two years ago, and he seemed, as Tsunade had put it, uncharacteristically skittish. They'd sent people after him but he proved inordinately elusive.  
  
        Which is why they'd finally decided to follow the course of action they had. And the fact that Sakura had been free of her mission. She was even more important a pawn than Sasuke, though it bothered Kakashi terribly to think of either of them as pawns in any sense of the word.  
  
        But they were Shinobi. And Shinobi expected to be not much more than tools. Both of his students should have learned this fact by now.  
  
        Yet Kakashi himself still hadn't quite come to terms with just how much this was true. How could he expect that anyone else would understand.  
  
        He just hoped when the time came, they'd be resourceful enough to stay alive while the Hokage slowly closed the trap around all of them. The fact that her favorite aspiring Hokage's companion's would be suck in the trap with the most dangerous wild card missing nin didn't seem to be an issue in the planning at all.  
  
        Kakashi sighed heavily. No, he wouldn't watch his comrades die. But what could he do about it, he wouldn't even be there to watch them at all. He put his hand to the cold metal of the forehead protector that covered the scar and his cursed right eye.  
  
        "Well Fuck" he said simply to the empty night, adjusting the cover more securely over his eye.  
  
        ----------------------------  
  
        Sakura knew full well what was going on. She had done some research herself on the situation surrounding the mission when she had realized that there were some missing spots in the information they'd been given.  
  
        It was too suspicious that so little was known. Kagami had been from Konoha, and there should have been trails and loose ends everywhere, no matter how much time had passed. They had gotten enough information to satisfy Sasuke, but he had been tricked into this with promises that his brother might be involved.  
  
        Well that much was true at least. She'd confirmed it with her own eyes and ears. But whether they'd run into him, she wasn't at all sure.  
  
        She'd gone seeking in places where it wouldn't be likely to find anything. Yet it had turned out that they were the easiest places to find anything, people that had been shut up by different means, and others that had been paid to mislead.  
  
        She wasn't sure whether she was supposed to have tracked down any of this information, but Kakashi had given them leave to do as they saw fit, and she had taken that at face value.  
  
        It turned out that Tsunade herself had known the fugitive as a child. Even better than a mere acquaintance or anything else. He had been like an uncle to her. Why was it important that they not know that?  
  
        Sakura wasn't too happy with this mission, but she was determined to protect Sasuke. He had no clue what he was walking into. Well, she wouldn't exactly say that he wasn't perceptive enough to know there was more to it, but he didn't seem to care, and that was just as, if not more, dangerous.  
  
        "Sakura" Sasuke said quietly, for her ears only. "did you feel that?" He asked suddenly. Sakura paused. She had felt it too, what was it?  
  
        They were surrounded by people in the streets yet she heard the echo of footsteps, more distant, yet unnaturally loud. Was somebody playing with them? Something splashed into the snow in front of them.  
  
        Splashed? The snow was frozen, just newly fallen. Sakura looked down. she froze as she saw the mask. No wait, it must be a coincidence. They were in the water country after all, there was nothing strange about seeing an anbu mask with the water symbol marked on it... falling in the middle of a busy civilian street, right in front of the only two undercover ninja's in the entire vicinity... Shit.  
  
        Saske bent down and picked up the mask as Sakura froze. He seemed oddly silent. He traced the split in the half of the mask. It looked the same as it had after he had awoken to find the fight over. But where was the other half?  
  
        "He was born in a snowy village" Sasuke said quietly, repeating to himself unconsciously what Naruto had told him of Haku's past. That had been only the first of many times the blonde boy had beaten an enemy he couldn't even touch. His grip tightened on the mask, turning his hand white where it touched the edges.  
  
        "Sasuke?" Sakura asked hesitantly. He nodded to her, dropping the hand holding the mask, but still keeping a firm grip on it.  
  
        "Yeah." He said in agreement, continuing to walk forward. They could consider this more later, for now it wasn't worth it to jeopardize their fragile position.  
  
        ----------------------------  
  
        From the shadows he watched them, or rather from the light of broad day. They didn't see him, nor sense him. How pitiful. He looked over at the man standing next to him who had an indistinguishable expression on his face.  
  
        Itachi Uchiha. One of the singularly most interesting comrades he'd ever considered an enemy. He was dangerous, and although if he ever fought Itachi, the Uchiha would be at a disadvantage, it might not make a difference in the overall outcome.  
  
        Not wanting to put much thought into that, he turned his thoughts back towards the targets. They really had no clue. He would test their resolve soon, and see if they were as much trouble as the Uchiha had alluded to.  
  
        They would have no clue to his real secret, nor to the way he really worked. He was looking forward to seeing how they'd deal with the next enemy he 'pitted' against them. They would have no idea what was coming, no more idea than he wanted them to have.  
  
        Itachi moved suddenly, and the younger man had to resist the urge to flinch. He didn't like this fear. It was the first time he'd been afraid of anyone since his father. Keep your enemies close, he'd always said.  
  
        "Done looking?" He spoke smoothly to the scarlet eyed ninja. Itachi looked at him without turning his head or moving his body, just shifting those cold eyes towards him.  
  
        "Ah.." Was the only reply he got as he gritted his teeth, holding his ground. He'd killed people thought to be more dangerous than Itachi, he'd be damned if this got to him.  
  
        ----------------------------  
  
        Sakura saw it coming, but she made no move to stop it, nor warn Sasuke. Years ago it would have been different. She would have gone out of her way to jump in front, deflect it, warn him somehow.  
  
        But as she estimated there was no need. Blood spurted from the needles penetrating Sasuke's flesh. Sakura made no move to him. It was a little much. Needles wouldn't spray that much blood.  
  
        Kakashi had overdone it that one time too. A log thudded softly in the snow. Sasuke stood behind the culprit with the three needles pointing at his neck.  
  
        "I see you're aiming for vitals this time" He spoke in a fierce whisper to the familiar form in front of him. It wasn't possible. No one could survive a direct hit from the Chidori. It was hard enough on the one performing the jutsu.  
  
        But now was no time to debate how possible it was. The fact was that there was someone who appeared to be Haku in front of him, and until he figured out who they were, and why they wanted him to believe that it was Haku standing before him. But they did have skill. And it was important to act accordingly.  
  
        Not helping the charade of being Haku, was the fact that the one standing before him looked exactly as Haku had the day he'd died.  
  
        "Sasuke, you realize that you're compromising out mission." Sakura said quietly. Sasuke looked at her slightly annoyed but with wide eyes that spoke of his momentary ignorance of the mistake. Sakura sighed.  
  
        "Just finish it in seven minutes, that's all we have before something like this is noticed." she said with a wave of her hand. Sasuke narrowed his gaze on the impostor with a grin.  
  
        "That should be plenty enough." He threw the needles in his hand above him to the left just as the Haku before him disappeared. There was a slight sound, signifying that he'd hit his target.  
  
        "Don't think you'll outdo me in speed a second time." he said simply. The battle erupted there, as the two moved to attack each other continuously with a flurry of motion. Sakura stood in the midst of it, keeping an eye out, and a count on what time was left.  
  
        Sasuke was outmatching Haku easily, his speed and sharingan eyes alone enough to match the prodigy. Sakura also, was pretty sure that this one was not as skilled as Haku truly would have been had he reached this age. It hadn't been fair when the young ninja had to die.  
  
        Haku broke away, performing seals one handed furiously as he did it. Sasuke came to a complete stop in surprise as he undoubtedly realized what the ninja was doing.  
  
        "You can't..." Sasuke stuttered momentarily.  
  
        "What." Haku said as the ice mirrors formed around Sasuke "You didn't think it was really me? Thought that it was impossible to come back from the dead?"  
  
        "You don't even act the same." Sasuke said in defense "How could I?" as his mind was racing. He'd heard it, from the Anbu that had watched the fight between Orochimaru and Sandaime. The forbidden technique that could bring people back from the dead. Desecrating bodies, and the requirement of a human sacrifice.  
  
        "You don't think people change after so long?" Haku said putting a mask much like the one he'd owned, very likely the same one he'd owned as it was stained with blood. They'd buried it with him. It was only the larger half of the mask, it covered only one eye and some of his lower face.  
  
        His calm and pleasant expression didn't look quite so pleasant anymore. "You don't think that death, perhaps changes someone?" he said as he sunk into a mirror, the images of him multiplying across them.  
  
        Sasuke swore. He'd have to get serious, no matter what the truth was. And if it was truly a forbidden technique, trying to break the body might well be futile. And how much was left of the mind of someone who had died?  
  
        Sakura watched on in a bit of apprehension. For once she really wished Naruto was there, he had known Haku a lot better than any of them and would likely be able to pinpoint the source of this feeling that something was really off.  
  
        She looked around, not able to shake off the feeling that someone else was there, but even with her constant awareness of their surroundings, she couldn't see anything out of place, or sense anyone. It wasn't likely any of the ones that had been tracking them.  
  
        Which in a way was a relief, but that meant their target likely knew where they were, and probably, from who they were fighting this moment, who they were.  
  
        And they knew nothing about their target. This would be bad. She felt a sinking sensation in her stomach that she'd only experienced one other time. She fought back a wave of dizziness and the flashbacks that usually accompanied it. Now was not the time.  
  
        She discreetly pulled out a kunai and let it stab into the fleshy part of her hand, she dug her nails into the wound to keep the pain from ebbing. It had become the only way she could fight these attacks.  
  
        Sasuke glanced at Sakura for a moment, and noticed she was looking a little pale. Was the time almost up? Crap, he'd have to resort to something risky. He didn't know how it might backfire using it against someone who was already dead. Now he just had to make eye contact.  
  
        He focused on Haku again, the ninja was holding up needles in every reflection, but Sasuke knew from experience that there was only one of him. He'd have to catch him outside of the mirrors though. He had no way of telling which one was real.  
  
        Sharingan couldn't see through advanced bloodline techniques after all. Haku moved, and Sasuke dodged with ease, able to see all the needles that flew his way, and no longer hampered by having to watch over a teammate. Haku had gotten faster.  
  
        In fact, as Sasuke waited for an opportunity, one continued to fail to reveal itself. Haku's speed was increasing with each and every pass. This called for innovative thinking. It wasn't like he wasn't forced into acting on the spur of the moment in any fight. But he had nothing to hold back here, not if he wanted to finish this in as little time possible.  
  
        Haku wasn't an opponent to be taken lightly.  
  
        Sasuke pulled off a jutsu in a flurry of motion. A fireball hurtled into the space Haku was about to occupy, much reminiscent of their first battle. As Sasuke predicted, he pulled back in the same manner he had this time, but this time something cut off his retreat. Thin wires sliced into the still young ninja, but just as blood coated the wires, betraying their presence, Haku melted in a splash.  
  
        'Shit, a water clone,' Sasuke thought as he searched for Haku, he should have seen that. Such a simple technique was usually easy to see through with his sharingan. 'Somethings not quite right' he thought setting up his next attempt easily.  
  
        Such setbacks were not enough to distract his concentration. He'd have to try a new ploy, his previous one being so easily deflected. Well he had the advantage of sight even if this guy owned speed in this ice prison.  
  
        He motioned another jutsu faster than the normal human eye could see, and the next set of passes Haku made through was hampered by a pillar of fire that stretched from the ground, just shy of the top mirror. Haku was forced to veer a course around it, this time Sasuke was making sure to watch more closely, not sure how Haku had pulled it off.  
  
        Then he caught it, just as Haku split into two, ever so imperceptibly. One slipped into a mirror hidden in the snow beneath them, while the other continued as the first had been going. Sasuke attacked the clone for the sake of appearances.  
  
        Water splashed onto the wet ground, hissing as it came in contact with the pillar which had already burned a puddle in the snow. Sasuke dropped the pillar, and waited, looking around everywhere but down, the direction he knew the possibly dead ninja would come from.  
  
        At the next movement, Sasuke reached out an arm with lightning speed and grabbed Haku, halting the momentum of the other so quickly that he whipped back for a moment while dangling from Sasuke's arm.  
  
        "Did you think you could escape my Sharingan so easily" Sasuke said smoothly, catching Haku's gaze with his, not allowing him to look away. His hand was clenched around Haku's jaw, the Shinobi that had once been close to the same size had not grown and sasuke could easily hold him at head level and leave him dangling feet above the ground.  
  
        "I give you sixty hours of pain, relive your failures one hundred times over." His looked away a moment later as Haku's body fell lim in his grip. He crushed his fingers into the ninja's throat before dropping him in the melted snow, hot blood dripping down his arm. The mirrors likewise melted around him, drawing a circle in the snow that was still frozen.  
  
        Sasuke waked away before the mirrors had completely dispersed, flicking Haku's blood of his arm as he walked to Sakura. He didn't notice how pale she seemed, nor the slight traces of blood on her hand, but Sakura noticed the paleness that had overtaken Sasuke.  
  
        "That technique, it's dangerous for both parties isn't it" Sasuke looked at her for a moment, and then looked away before nodding in affirmation.  
  
        "I finished it in time, didn't I?" Sasuke asked quietly. Sakura sighed.  
  
        "Yes, you did." She didn't mention the disturbing feeling that she'd been feeling, nor the bile that had settled on the lining of her stomach. Nor the fact that she felt like passing out, as they continued onwards.  
  
        ---------------------------- 


End file.
